[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 131 (Monday, October 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S11418]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO JACK GHERTY OF LAND O'LAKES

 Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, it is my pleasure to recognize an 
individual who has made a significant positive difference in U.S. 
agriculture, agribusiness, rural communities and cooperative 
enterprise.
  That individual is Land O'Lakes' President and Chief Executive 
Officer Jack Gherty, retiring after a 35-year career with the 
cooperative and 16 years as its President and CEO.
  During his tenure as CEO, Land O'Lakes was transformed from a 
regional to a national farmer-owned business and membership 
organization--giving producers a powerful presence in the marketplace 
and, from my experience, an equally powerful and positive voice in the 
policy arena.
  Jack Gherty's role in Land O'Lakes' transformation comes as no 
surprise, for agriculture, rural communities and cooperatives have 
always been close to his heart.
  Gherty grew up on his family's western Wisconsin dairy and livestock 
farm, in a close-knit rural community, where the local cooperative was 
at the center of agribusiness activity.
  He learned the importance of diligence and teamwork. He learned to 
value family, community and the land. And, he learned the important 
role farmer-owned businesses can play in helping preserve the integrity 
of family-based agriculture and rural communities.
  Jack carried these lessons with him when he left the farm in the mid-
1960s and earned business and law degrees from the University of 
Wisconsin. They were also part of his work in the late 1960s as a VISTA 
volunteer on the tough, poverty-stricken south side of Chicago.
  In 1970, Jack joined the Land O'Lakes law department. Over the next 
several years, he held a number of executive positions within the 
cooperative. In 1989, the board selected him to serve as Land O'Lakes' 
President and CEO.
  In this leadership role, Gherty continued to be driven by a strong 
set of personal values. He combined this with the belief that the most 
critical role a CEO must play is defining organizational culture, and 
he immediately began working with the board and his leadership team to 
set the foundation for Land O'Lakes' future--the organization's vision, 
mission and values.
  Over the past 16 years, Gherty's vision, mission and values have 
served Land O'Lakes and its members well. Not only has Land O'Lakes 
built business success while remaining true to its cooperative 
principles, the company has gained a reputation for uncompromising 
standards of ethics and integrity and has established a strong record 
of corporate social responsibility.
  As a Minnesotan, I am proud to count Land O'Lakes as a Minnesota-
based company. I am proud of its ethics. I admire its contributions to 
the success of family-based agriculture and producer-owned 
agribusiness. I share its rural and family values. I applaud its 
commitment to community.
  I am equally proud of Jack Gherty's record as its leader and of the 
values that have shaped his career--and, in turn, the Land O'Lakes of 
today.
  A few years ago, Jack Gherty traveled here to Washington D.C. to 
speak at the 35th Anniversary celebration for VISTA. At that time he 
said, ``The most successful and satisfied people are not those who are 
out to make an impression, but rather those who are out to make a 
difference.''
  Jack Gherty has made an impression by making a difference, and I am 
pleased to share his achievements with you today.

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